Undiscovered Territory
by moor
Summary: It all started from imanewme's prompt, Undiscovered Territory, and a rarely-seen threesome. Shuurei x Shuei x Kouyuu sandwich, yum. I can do that. This is the prequel that got everything started.
1. Chapter 1

**Undiscovered Territory**

* * *

"What do you mean, 'the door is snowed shut'?"

Shuei sat with his head propped up in his hand, watching his colleagues as they each took turns kicking at the frozen doorway. It had been going on like this for a good ten minutes since their private meeting had ended – a meeting far from the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the court, in an old, near-forgotten section of the administrative section of the palace. It was getting dark, their lantern would be running low soon, and the awful weather outdoors had degenerated to a near-blizzard in the time they'd locked themselves away from the rest of their colleagues. They'd even adjourned early, when they'd felt the temperature dropping too drastically to be normal for late afternoon.

"This isn't funny, you lazy hedonist!" hollered the aqua-haired man. Eyes wild and wide while his hair stuck out at odd angles from his (losing) battle with the heavy wooden barricade, Kouyuu whirled to face his rather unhelpful friend. "We'll be stuck in here until morning if you don't hurry up and start helping us push this open!"

"Please, Shuei!" gasped the dark-haired woman who was leaning with all her might against the door, her heels dug stubbornly into the stone floor. "If we can just budge it enough to open it a crack, then-."

"Someone needs to dig us out from the outside—or, one of us needs to holler loud enough to get the guards' attention to open up the emergency evacuation tunnels. Either way, we aren't getting out until first light, when the sun's had a chance to thaw the ice that has frozen the door shut."

"Stop being a pessimist and get over here!"

"Give me your sword! If you won't use it, I will!"

The military man regarded his desperate friends with a tired, resigned expression.

Really? Shuurei thought she could handle his sword better than he could?

Suddenly he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.

…It didn't help matters.

* * *

The ice along the bottom of the doorway had sealed the room shut against the snow seeping across the threshold, however the wind still managed to reach through the cracks and chinks in the walls.

"Why did the meeting need to take place so far from the main palace?"  
"You agreed to it!"

"What was I thinking letting you lead us out here!"

"Then you get to book the private meeting room next time!"  
"Kouyuu, is this the building you booked?"  
"…"

"Are we even in the right section of the palace?"

"…"

"So no one knows where we are," sighed Shuurei, shivering a bit as the temperature continued to drop inside the old dwelling—which she was beginning to think, more and more, was outright abandoned. "Ahhh, I'd hoped I'd live a full life serving his Majesty… but it looks like I will die in his service, locked away in a forgotten store-room…" Clutching her cloak a bit closer, she eyed the stacks of scrolls and bound papers nearby in speculation.

"How important do you wager those are?..."

Obviously, the young official was weighing the value of the store-room's contents against her comfort and self-preservation through the bitter night.

Kouyuu curbed his sulking just long enough to follow her gaze. "These are old…" Recognition tolled like a funeral temple bell inside him. His voice trailed off as his cheeks coloured. He recognized the titles of those books and tomes. A young woman may not, and certainly not an unmarried one, but to a young man, these were very famous records indeed.

"Nothing."

Curious to his reaction, Shuurei glanced between Kouyuu and the stacks.

_Very curious._

She stood.

Kouyuu's eyes widened in alarm; he started to rise, reaching out to stop her—

But Shuei beat him to it.

-and by that, he meant that Shuei had moved swiftly to place several of the books in Shuurei's outstretched arms.

Kouyuu paled as his heart leapt up into his throat.

He'd never realized that Shuei had a death wish, because what he'd just done was certainly suicide. Everyone knew about Shuurei's last encounter with the Peach Books. It was a joke through the palace; but one kept very quiet, due to His Majesty's doting on his favourite little scholar.

"Perhaps these will help our Kou-clan princess… warm up?..." Shuei's silk-smooth voice intoned.

Back to the present, a choking, sputtering noise erupted from Kouyuu; a sound that could most closely be likened to that of a cat dying of strangulation, perhaps.

… and both men watched—one in horror, the other in amusement—as the innocent young woman opened a very detailed, very thorough, very graphic recounting of a very carnal encounter between—

Shuurei slammed the tome shut between her spontaneously powerful hands.

Then she leapt at the door again, her cheeks flaming and her tiny fists beating madly at the door in an attempt to escape.  
_"HELP! HELP! I'm trapped inside the Imperial Saiunpornium!_" she cried desperately.

* * *

"—and how can there be so much of it! It's like we're drowning in it! Is there really this great a calling for pornography in the kingdom!"

Head bowed over his knees as he sat on the floor, leaning against the cold wall, Kouyuu groaned at Shuurei's continued tyrade.

"Everyone has different tastes, and this seems to be where things were stored when each new emperor came into power. Some are very old, others fairly new, others re-editions or modernized takes on historical tales."  
Shuurei glared at Shuei. "You sound so well-versed in this topic. Will wonders never cease?"

He grinned at her unashamedly. "Have you ever sat down to read one?"  
"Of course not!" Her cheeks blazed.

"Why not?"

"Because—because—because-… these are for men, and they're…" By now her whole face and neck had gone crimson. "They're… dirty. And naughty. And not what polite young women should read." Yes, she understood they had their place, and really, there was nothing _wrong_ with sex or masturbation (it was natural and healthy, she truly believed that), but it was something private, not… Her eyes took in the shelves and racks and boxes full of mature content that surrounded her. It was never to be spoken of casually or sold or so…

Words failed her.

Amused at, and sympathetic to, her blustering, the imperial guard and military tactician uncrossed his arms and went to the stacks, looking for something specific.

"Aha," he crooned softly, the smile on his face changing. However, it wasn't a Cheshire grin now, but rather a compassionate one.

"Obviously, this doesn't apply to all women," he began in a softer, more serious, knowledgeable tone, "but one thing you need to understand, Shuurei, is that most women are raised to be, for lack of a better word, servants. They are raised to serve within their family, and when they are married off, they are to serve their husbands. As such, on their wedding nights, women often share with each other 'Manuals', among other books, on how to endure their first night, and subsequently, how to enjoy themselves with their husbands, later. Some are filled with wives' tales, others fairy tales, others fantasies, and still others, simply lists of positions and… procedures, if you will." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Normally it is given from mother or aunt to daughter. If you'd like, I can speak to my younger sister; she's been undergoing her bridal training for years now, and I'm sure there has been talk of intimacy and child bearing and rearing."

Hands fisted inside her long sleeves, Shuurei glared at Shuei. "No. Thank. You. I'm perfectly aware of how children come about."

Sighing from his spot on the floor, and shifting slightly to try and become more comfortable, Kouyuu looked over at the pair before him. What did he have to lose? They may all freeze to death by morning, anyway… And such an inglorious death, indeed…

"He isn't talking about sex, he's talking about making love, sharing fantasies; sex as recreation, not reproduction. These books," his arm swept out to encompass their surroundings, "are all about helping couples reach their…" he coughed, "er, climax. Pleasure. Whether on their own or individually," he muttered, tucking his aqua-coloured head down again. Despite the warmth provided by his cloak—and his discomfort with the level of privacy the conversation could threaten-, he shivered a bit as another gust hit their building.

"Exactly as Kouyuu said," confirmed Shuei.

He passed the book he'd found to Shuurei, and went to sit down beside Kouyuu, huddling close to the younger man to share warmth.

"Get away from me."  
"Be quiet; if we don't share body heat, we could freeze to death in here tonight. Do you want Reishin to find you frozen solid in this kind of place in the morning?"

Mumbling surly epithets, Kouyuu growled and conceded, leaning slightly into Shuei's solid frame.

"That book is one that many women have passed through their noble families to their daughters," the dark-haired man lectured from his spot on the floor now. "It has good descriptions of positions and such, but also descriptions of women's health and conditions, home remedies, midwifery skills, and what to expect during the first months of marriage. There are also romantic, or at least romanticized, stories within it, too."

Shuurei dropped it onto a nearby shelf. "I have no use for such things."  
Shuei simply sighed again at her stubbornness.

"You can stand there being bored to icy tears, or you can take that relatively harmless book—probably one of the tamest in this building—and come over here where it is warm and at least make it through the night," he said finally. "Or just come here and join us; the more of us there are, the warmer we are."

She glared at him a moment, then looked at Kouyuu, the tight line of her mouth softening slightly as she saw him shiver.

"If you lay one hand on me, I'm having His Highness burn this place to the ground within a day, with you in it."

"Understood." He paused. "And if you aren't going to read that book, could you please bring it over here? I think there are a few areas Kouyuu needs to brush up on."

"Oy!"

Rolling her eyes, Shuurei picked it up again, along with a few other, very large, heavy scrolls, and made her way to the pair of men huddling together for warmth on the ground.

Her mouth twisted slightly in distaste, she glanced down at them dubiously.

"You ch-ch-changed your mind?" stuttered Kouyuu, the cold worsening his shivers.

"Absolutely not." She started unfurling the scrolls. "Now, get up and we'll lie these on the ground; paper is a very good insulator. Also, the activity will help keep us moving and thus warm. Once we've lined the wall and floor with these, we'll get some more to cover us like a blanket." She glanced one last time at Shuei. "If _burning_ them is out of the question, we might as well make them work to our advantage. Agreed?"

"Do we have to use this particular one on the floor?" began Shuei cautiously as he unwound an ancient sutra—a beautifully illustrated, ancient sutra-, "it is of great historical-."

"Just do it!"

With a sigh, the trio prepared their sleeping pallet with the best pornography the kingdom had ever produced.

* * *

"You know, this is actually working rather well," Kouyuu marveled as they huddled under the heaps of paper about an hour later.

"It's too hot, you mean," groused Shuurei.

"No, it's almost perfect."

"And we aren't bored. There are some passages that are pretty fascinating. If you look just down here by my-."

"I AM LOOKING NO WHERE NEAR YOU, AT ALL, TONIGHT."

Shuei couldn't help it, he laughed. "This is actually part of a religious text. It looks like it was part of the earliest marriage ceremony rites, and was a gift to one of the first emperors."

"Oh, really?" This did get Shuurei's attention. "Oh, you're right." She looked closer. "There's a fair bit here about agricultural practices, too… Would you mind…"  
"Not at all," he passed her the 'blanket', which she traded in turn for one of her graphic 'pillows'.

"This is very similar to what we do today, in the Kou orange orchards, from what I understand," she mumbled aloud, and Kouyuu leaned closer to read over her shoulder, his arm reaching around behind her to stabilize himself. Shuurei didn't notice, too wrapped up in the parchment's contents. They were all simply happy to be snug as bugs in a paper rug, for the time being.  
"The cycle is the same, and some of the individual processes, yes," agreed Kouyuu, who'd accompanied his 'father' more than once to Kou province in his youth. His cheeks coloured as he read through the lines of another section. "Ah, but… this isn't entirely what goes on now…"

She glanced up over her shoulder at him. "Really? What has changed?"

Kouyuu coloured further, and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"Hmm?"

Blowing out hard through his nose in a huff, Kouyuu ignored his discomfort to explain.

"This part here, where it talks about making the mounds rise, preparing the fields with strong but gentle hands, parting the earth in furrows, gently inseminating the moist, fertile soil with a farmer's seed, and repeating it over and over until they bear fruit, then raising the plants until they bear seeds to grow of their own…" He coughed as he noticed the back of her ears and neck reddening now in comprehension.  
"Oh. I see."

Of course, his arm was still across her back, and the contact burned them both in the uncomfortable silence.

Thank goodness Shuei was there to make it worse.

With a chuckle, he smirked and reached over for it. "Perhaps I should take that one back before it blinds your poor, virgin eyes?"

"Would you knock it off, it's fine!"

"You know I'm not a virgin, so why do you insist on-!"

Silence.

"You're… not?"

At Shuurei's surprised reaction, Kouyuu stiffened.

Shuei's grin widened.

* * *

"So you and His Highness really haven't? Not even once while you worked in the harem?"

Shuurei shrugged. "It wasn't really an issue, at the time."  
"But with him being pressured to secure his position recently, you're getting pushed into a difficult spot," theorized Shuei knowingly.

"Yes. We are trying to avoid making things… complicated, though. We're still very close friends… but there's more I want to do, to be, than Empress or Consort."

"You're too smart to limit yourself to that role," agreed Kouyuu. "And if His Majesty doesn't realize that by now, he'll lose someone who could be one of his most loyal supporters and advisors."

The three huddled together more comfortably. 'The Talk' had loosened them up considerably, and time had been passing quickly.

It was still bitterly cold, however, outside their small, paper-wrapped cocoon.

"Do you ever wonder what the fuss is about?"

She glanced up at the teal-haired man whose side she was curled into. "I don't really have time to," she admitted. "Despite working with Kouchou-neesan, and even being a member of the _Imperial Cat House_," she joked, making them all laugh, "I've made my own decisions, but haven't lived for myself. I've lived to serve." Her eyes took on a darker, more downcast tint, then. "Perhaps not as a traditional woman would," she was making reference now to the book that covered her legs—cover up, pages down—and Shuei's earlier conversation. "But I'm married. To my duty. And I'm proud of my accomplishments. I don't regret anything."

"You sound lonely, though," remarked Shuei quietly, trying not to offend or insult her.

"So do you," retorted Kouyuu, defending Shuurei in his own way by trying to deflect the attention off her.

"We all are," the young woman realized aloud.

Silenced reined between the collected tensai once more.

* * *

"Yes."

"Yes what?"  
"Yes, I have been… curious… but it wasn't as if I could trust anyone or ask questions without…"

Both men nodded.

It was different for women than men.

"I'm sure your 'big sis' wouldn't mind, but you don't want to worry or bother her. Correct?"

Large feminine eyes turned to indigo in surprise.

"You're sensitive and observant, when it suits you."

"And you're abrasive and insecure when you're not putting up your know-it-all front."

"None of us really has a leg to stand on in this conversation, when you think about it," said Shuurei. "It isn't like any of us are married, or seriously, exclusively involved with anyone. At least the two of you have each other to talk to about… personal matters."  
"You could talk to Seiran?"  
She laughed aloud.

"I think he'd… oh, I don't know what he'd do…," she kept laughing. "I've never really been approached by men before," other than… but no one mentioned him, for so many reaons, "and I have a feeling he's had something to do with it. I've never caught him outright, but it's just my intuition that if it were up to him, I'd die a virgin."

"You poor, poor woman…"  
"Let us know if you really get stuck—we'll help you find someone."

"Thanks. I think."

It was quietly awkward for a moment.

Then they all laughed.  
"Until Seiran hunts us all down and murders us in cold blood, of course."

"I'll tell him I tricked you into it. With my feminine wiles."

They kept laughing.

* * *

"So is this one here even possible?"

"Yes, but it involves a great deal of trust and flexibility."

A pause.

"It works better between two women."

"Ah, that makes more sense… How did you know that, Kouyuu?"

"…"

"And moving on… Ok, this one. I think I've heard of it, but it seemed a bit too…"

"Forward? On the woman's part?"

"Yes."

"No need to be embarrassed—we're here to answer your questions. Ask anything."  
"Why is she sitting backwards in his lap? Is it comfortable? I thought two people were supposed to face each other in these things."  
"Reverse Horsewoman is actually a woman-superior position that emphasizes her pleasure. The way she'll feel him inside her will be very arousing. And very comfortable. Especially if he uses his hands well."

"Confident words."

"_Experienced_ words."

She harrumphed a bit, but wasn't daunted.

"And where do the mouths fit in?"

"Whose? And where?"

(That explanation went on for a long time, with all actively participating.)

"I'll take your word on that last bit," she said, unconvinced.

Kouyuu shifted his arm a bit as Shuurei stretched her back, and laid it casually across her middle when she yawned and leaned back against him.

"You can go to sleep if you want. We're nearing daybreak, anyway. We'll be able to start calling for help again in a few hours. Rest while you can. We're nearly out of the woods," he mumbled against her hair. The intimate murmurs resonated through her, and she felt her stomach warm, and something curl tighter in her lower belly at his low voice.

_That was odd._

"I don't want to sleep. I may never be able to ask someone these things again."  
"You'll still have us."  
"Are you worried about others finding out, if we end up talking outside these walls?"

Both men saw her shoulders slump, and Shuei reached an arm around both Shuurei and Kouyuu affectionately.

"We can be very discreet. You didn't even know about Kouyuu, did you? And despite what the rumours suggest, I'm not nearly as promiscuous as my reputation implies. I keep my private matters private, when possible. There are some things the clan doesn't appreciate."

Did they all know _that_ rule.

"Still, at least you've both been able to enjoy your experiences, despite your clan ties." Her voice was almost sad, and she felt their warmth surround and comfort her. "Once I leave here, I go back to being the 'Kou Princess', servant to the court and Emperor. If my reputation suffers in any way, it will reflect on His Highness' decisions and reputation. And any hope I'd ever had of leading by example will be ridiculed, and tossed away."

She just couldn't risk it, in the future. Her 'bridal training' consisted of a single night of anecdotal description with the palace prude and the court gigolo.

She would have laughed, if it wasn't so pitiful.

"But… what if it wasn't outside these walls?"

Such a quiet suggestion, nearly breathed instead of spoken.

She stilled; she was still quite relaxed, but those words… they held danger in them.

Shuei glanced at Kouyuu over Shuurei's head; their eyes met, and held.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the hand across Shuurei's stomach slowly trailed down her side before running gently over her belly, tracing the curves it met with casual ease.

Unbeknownst to her, the young woman's breath hitched.

"K-..Kouyuu?" she whispered.

"What if it wasn't outside these walls?" he asked again, his voice lowering softly, blowing puffs of moist, warm air against her ear as he leaned over her.

She felt another hand join the first, as Shuei shifted, then that hand rub relaxing circles over her back, her shoulders, back across her back again, soon down her shoulders and arms, taking her hand…

Her cheeks flared as her eyes widened.

And darkened.

And she swallowed nervously.

"I can't."

"You can, and you should. We won't take more than you'll give us."  
"No."

"You know you're safe with us. We won't take your… You'll still be marriageable afterwards."  
"Is that even possible?"  
"Physically, yes."

"… physically? What does that mean?"  
Kouyuu answered. "You remember when we spoke earlier, about the differences between sex, fucking, and making love?"  
"Yes…"

"There is an emotional, a mental, a spiritual component. That change… That's more telling than the physical, in many ways."

"… so you're saying that physically, I'll still be the same…"  
"Yes."

"But… emotionally…"  
"That is different for each person," Shuei said, brushing her hair away from her face. He ran his hand—still holding hers—through it slowly, watching it cascade through his fingers. He smiled a bit at her in understanding. "In a way, it is different each time it happens. But if you trust us, we can at least help you understand." His hand raised again to toy with one of her hair adornments, teasing it loosely but not releasing it from its heavy coils. He left her hand holding the flower-pin. Waiting for her decision.

"I shouldn't… wouldn't it be cruel, to give this to me when we'll never be able to speak of it again? What if… what if I never… after this…"

Her voice caught, and both men felt her tense, her concerns closing her in on herself.

"If you ever need us, we won't turn you away."

"One of us can run interference with Seiran and His Highness while the other convenes with you."  
"That's not funny! I…"

"Shuurei."  
She looked up at Kouyuu's sympathetic expression; his dark-rimmed, tired eyes, his now stubbly jawline, his serious lips and mouth.

"If there is one lesson I learned personally, unfortunately, it is that the most important things should be shared with those you trust. We will never force you, and will never speak of this again, if you so wish it. We'll never betray your confidence. But remember, we offer out of sincere intentions. We have nothing to gain by playing such a game with you, unlike others who may take advantage of you in the future. If you wish to… learn, or experiment… we can share what we know, help answer your questions, and leave you marriageable. It is up to you."

He gave her a light hug to punctuate the statement, to reassure her.

"And what happens in the saiunpornium stays in the saiunpornium," teased Shuei, running a thumb lightly over her cheek to wick away the wetness.

"I don't know…"

"You're anxious? Nervous? Afraid of how things will change?"

She stared openly at Shuei; he grinned back.

"We all were."

"If you aren't a little cautious, you're going to get into trouble," added the soldier ruefully.

"Which brings us back to trust."

"Do you want to?"

"… yes… but…"

"… how about… we start slow," said Kouyuu, resuming his light touches along her side, never veering into inappropriate territory, but simply relaxing her. "And you can let us know when you want us to stop. How does that sound? We won't do anything you don't want us to."  
"But… both of you?" She sounded nervous, scandalized… and just a bit curious.

Shuei chuckled, and she could have sworn she felt Kouyuu's chest reverberate deeply, too.

"Starting slow," he repeated.

Shuurei met both their eyes, in turn, for a moment.

Her lower lip pulled into her mouth, and she lightly nibbled it in consideration.

Then glancing down, her grip tightened on the hair-pin, and she pulled it free.

Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders.

* * *

Her breathing came in pants, her eyes closed tightly as her mouth hung open; her fists tightened in the papers now scattered around them, long abandoned.

There were hands all over her, over her, petting and tweaking and rubbing, and her robes had been discarded and forgotten.

The naked chest she leaned back against flexed as she writhed against it; the owner's hands fluttered across her chest to lightly trace her engorged breasts, teasing her pink-tipped nipples until they tightened almost painfully. The pooling warmth that had started in her lower belly had spread out through her whole body, sensitizing her to the lightest touch or breath across her skin, bringing her to an unheard of level of arousal.

"Please, once more," she gasped, and shuddered when she felt the pliant muscle moving against her most sensitive, swollen bundle of nerves inside her. The hands that reached around her thighs smoothed along her legs possessively, squeezing and kneading in counterpoint to the slow, rhythmic laps at her core.

The winding in her body coiled into an impossibly tight spring, and as the soldier kissed the juncture of her shoulder and neck, she felt the spiral snap and unleash a wild torrent through her when Kouyuu suddenly sucked hard on her nerve-bud.

Her back arched right off Shuei's chest and she felt her arms and legs struggling against the men, a natural reaction as her climax flooded through her.

Her trembling as her body fell back to them made both men smile in male accomplishment.

"I think she may have passed out on that last one," remarked Shuei softly as he brushed tendrils of Shuurei's hair away from her flushed face. It surprised him how much he'd enjoyed leading her on her 'voyage of discovery'; he almost hoped they'd be able to discuss it together, _and possibly… _

_No, no, he wasn't getting attached. It was just…_

For her to be so self-controlled most of the time, when it came to her sexuality, and then to have her begging them for more. It was the most erotic thing he'd heard in… well, all right, recently. He was a man of experience.

But he also noticed how Kouyuu's eyes softened as he looked down at the woman between them.

_Ahhhh… that one will have problems letting go…_

"I'm amazed you held back," said Kouyuu, pulling papers and cloaks up over them all, even as he saw the dawn-light peeking through the cracks in the walls across the room.

"This wasn't about me," replied Shuei.

Both nodded a bit at those words.

"You've gotten much better with your mouth."  
Kouyuu's cheeks reddened slightly, but he otherwise didn't react. "I've learned to take my time, and to listen." His look turned thoughtful as he settled against Shuei, who supported both of them. "He doesn't deserve her."  
"Such talk is treasonous, remember…"  
"We both know she's more suited to staying in the service of the Court, not the private chambers of a King, hidden away and brought out for show during ceremonial processions. She's far too valuable in her role as an official."

"Hypothetically speaking in strategic terms," Shuei gave Kouyuu a bland look, "what could we do? It isn't our decision."

Kouyuu huffed grumpily.

"She trusts us."  
"And we, her. Your point?"

"Do you think she trusts Him?"

Shuei looked at him suspiciously.

"Tread carefully."  
"She trusts him enough to know he won't touch her unless she gives him permission, true," he thought aloud. "But… I think she's afraid of what will happen… after, if they were to marry."  
"He would never mistreat her."  
"No."

"And he's vowed monogamy."  
"As long as she gives him an heir."

They stared at each other.

"We don't need heirs. We're all married to our work."

"You're sounding awfully possessive and committed for something that was only intended to be a single educational experience," said Shuei slowly.

"It would keep her in her official position. She would not be bothered by suitors or the same politics, once she was allied with one of our clans."

Shuei's eyes narrowed at his colleague.

"What do you mean, 'one' of our clans? She'd marry into mine before yours. Who'd want your overbearing fruit-basket-provider for a father-in-law?"

"And who'd want your crazy brothers for in-laws?"

"It would have to be her choice."  
"There isn't really a choice, though, is there?"

The pair glowered at each other.

"She'll need a reason to marry us, though," said Kouyuu then, more to himself than Shuei. He paused, his eyes widening. "Wait a second…"

"Marry… us…?"

Something sparked in Kouyuu's eyes, and he immediately bolted upright and set to rifling through the (now rumpled, sometimes torn) papers that surrounded them.

"Where is it, I know I saw it, where was it?..." he muttered through his teeth, leaving Shuei to regard him like he'd grown a second head.

"A-ha!" he held a parchment aloft proudly.

His eyes gleamed as he passed the paper to Shuei, shouldering Shuurei's light bodyweight welcomingly as his partner read the contents of the ancient record to himself.

"Do you really think she'll agree with this?"

"It's worth it. It'll mean a life of freedom for her."

"… relatively speaking…"

"And she trusts us. Who else is as intelligent as she is, as caring, as determined? Who else understands our roles and positions like she does?"

Shuei watched Kouyuu skeptically. "Quite thought-out for a split-second evaluation, isn't that? This… isn't the first time you've thought of her like this, is it, Kouyuu?" Suspicion turned to confirmation as he saw the sadness that rimmed his friend's eyes.

"She's the one, isn't she? The one you said you wanted to wait for?"

Lips tightening, Kouyuu remained silent.  
Shuei sighed. "I'm sorry."

Letting a breath out slowly, the younger man's eyes fell to Shuurei's face, now sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"I'd never leave you for another man, Shuei," he said quietly. "But… I don't want to split myself between two relationships, either."

"So this 200 year old edict?"

Kouyuu's expression lightened.

"Officially makes our whole relationship legal." And he watched his friend's impassive features a moment. "I know you like her, too, Shuei. Perhaps just as a bit more than a friend, but definitely not as a sister or relative. You respect her. I think she's good for us. You need someone who sees you for who you really are, too. The act needs to drop sometime."

Groaning tiredly, the other man rubbed his eyes and folded the paper, sliding it into one of his pockets.

"So, we've decided to propose to the woman who has a homicidally overprotective father, retainer, and uncle."

Kouyuu shifted nervously.

"I think I can talk Reishin and Shouka out of murder, if you can handle Seiran."

"We'll have to talk to them individually—I don't think we could hold out against them if they were to team up."

"Agreed."

"So… when should we ask Shuurei?"

* * *

"What do you mean, 'may not be marrigeable'?" she croaked, her voice strung tighter than a shamisen string.

"Emotionally only," clarified Kouyuu.

"We feel it would be best to protect your heart, your interests, and your abilities by, ah…"  
"Marrying us."

"'Us'?"

"Yes. The three of us would be lawfully wedded. Today. In about two hours, actually, if you're not opposed."

"Are you both suffering from hypothermic delusions?" she burst out, then reconsidered. "Am I?"

"I assure you, we're all quite well in the head."

"Can a delusion really make that affirmation about itself?"

They ignored her sarcasm.

"So I'm still, physically, a virgin, and yet you two feel… honour-bound?" she looked at them incredulously, "to defend my honour and ask for my hand in marriage?"  
"… Yes."

"I am definitely delusional…"  
"But think of the benefits!"

"No harem!"

"Being able to see us at work!"

"Always having company!"

"Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll just kick down this door right now and make my way home to my-."  
"We'll do you any way you want, and you will _always_ come first."

"We'll coordinate."

"We're very open-minded in the bedroom."  
"You get two husbands for the price of one, we already know we're compatible in intimate company, and Kouyuu makes a killer dim sum."

"Still, no."

"Three incomes!"

"What are the terms?"

* * *

"What have I done?" she whispered, her face ashen as she stopped dead in her tracks, the small scroll in her hands trembling.

"You've made us the happiest men in the kingdom," assured Kouyuu, squeezing her to his side with a quick kiss to her head.

"Indeed. We'll have to discuss moving arrangements soon. Do you think Seiran will still remain your retainer now that you're married? To two other men?"

"… I think I'm having heart failure…"

"We'll help you with that," assured Shuei, ruffling her hair slightly.  
Oh yes, there were benefits to this arrangement, he decided as he watched his adorable new husband and wife out of the corner of his eye. The way those two blushed and harangued each other already, the way Shuurei was already nagging him to button his coat up higher and for goodness sake, cover his ears with at least his hood, looking after him… No one had ever really focused on him before, as an individual, with any real sense of caring or respect. Expectation, sure, temporary awe of his clan or assumed wealth, sometimes. But him as a person? Beyond the Emperor himself, hardly anyone.

In front of him, Kouyuu and Shuurei had stopped to bicker about which direction to turn. (Of course Shuurei was right, but seeing Kouyuu arguing and refusing to back down out of sheer pig-headedness?... With someone other than himself, for once? And giving in when she conked him on the head and pulled him by the ear anyway? Oh, he was going to love this new arrangement, if only for its entertainment purposes.)

Ran Shuei never would have admitted he had a soft spot for romance before, but…

At that moment, Kouyuu looked over at him and smiled a smile only the two of them had ever shared.

Yes, there were definitely benefits to this new arrangement.

To his surprise, then, Shuurei cautiously reached across and held out her hand to him.

Kouyuu stopped, then, too, and did the same.

Expression softening, Shuei let them take his elbows in theirs and lead him 'home'.

… or at least in the direction of the exit gate. There was still a lot of planning to do.

"So, who wants to help me plan the honeymoon?" he asked warmly.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed this 'prequel'. It is based on the May 2010 prompt "Undiscovered Territory" for saiun challenge, but I didn't finish it in time. D'oh! The other parts will be posted after the voting has ended for the saiun_challenge LJ comm. (Which is where this whole debacle started.) Also, the 'saiunpornium'? It's actually an LJ comm, too - filled with all the pr0n-worthy treasures of the SaiMono fanfic and fanart universe. Come join us!

-mm  
Posted June 6/7, 2010.

[EDIT: Thank you for catching my grammar!fail, Niko!]


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The day the palace stood still  
Threesome: Shuei x Kouyuu x Shuurei  
Genre: Humour  
Words: 100, according to MSWord  
Prompt: Only the dead can keep secrets.

Disclaimer: I do not own SaiMono; just several artbooks, manga, and DVDs. Perhaps a small altar where I burn incense while I pray to be even half as endowed as Kouchou…

* * *

"We agreed to talk to them individually!"

"You weren't there! They ganged up on me!"

"Because they knew you're the weakest link!"

"Now, now, let's pause and look at the big picture. We knew we weren't going to keep it hidden forever. Only the dead can keep secrets."

Making a grab for Shuei's sword, Shuurei lunged, the fire in her eyes aimed squarely at Kouyuu.

"We can remedy that right now-."

Sighing and grabbing their wife around her middle, hoisting her over his shoulder, Shuei inclined his head in the direction of Kou manor.

"Let's get this over with."


	3. Chapter 3

[2nd Anniversary!] [Word Count: Free!] [Theme: Hot Summer Nights]

Title: Fan Service  
Author: beyondthemoor on LJ  
Pairing: Kouyuu x Shuurei x Shuuei (friendship-love)  
Fandom: SaiMono  
Canon or AU: Canon-ish  
Word count: (approx. 750 words…)  
Genre: friendship/family-romance-bromance-humour (I say it is a genre, so it is!)  
Disclaimer: I do not own SaiMono! (Just some DVDs, art-books, manga. Maybe an altar…)  
Summary: This wasn't what she meant when she suggested they brainstorm ways to help stave off the summer swelter.  
Prompt: Hot Summer Nights

AN: Written for saiun_challenge's 2nd anniversary—and our hostess with the most-est mod, imanewme (happy birthday, ima!). May is party month, yay! :D

* * *

Pulling her long hair up off her neck for the -_enth_ time that day, Shuurei shifted in bed and tried to find a breeze to cool herself down in the stifling room.

The sudden hot-spell had gone into its third day, and the capitol's inhabitants were lethargic and cranky from the oppressive humidity that had rolled in with the southern winds. Things around the palace had slowed to a crawl, and some non-essential functions and departments had declared a temporary work-stoppage, in order to accommodate the swelter and minimize the number of officials suffering from heat-stroke. (This was after rumours had circulated of a certain department head accepting the services of a woman dressed as a man to help relieve the staff… and the woman in question doing a better job than the men-officials before her.) They had to keep up morale, after all.

While Shuurei had not benefitted from the sudden vacation (she was considered essential, apparently), one of her colleagues had.

And he made no bones about filling them all in on his relaxing days spent in the Kougarou being fanned and fed flavoured ice-chips. The ladies had even bestowed upon him a large bamboo-slat fan for his own personal use to help lessen the impact of the heat—he'd been using it to fan himself all evening. In front of them. While they suffered miserably in the blistering, soupy air.

"You should come visit for a bit, Kouyuu. You'd feel much better. You just need to cool off for a bit," coaxed the dark-haired man. His scowling colleague glared at him, as if he was the source of all things uncomfortable.

Shuurei tried to ignore them both; she hadn't slept well in days and could barely keep her eyes open that evening. Folding some paper up, she started fanning herself again, only to have the make-shift thermantidote go limp after a few passes in the air.

With a muttered _"Tch!",_ she groaned and tried to find another air current…

"Never. There is too much to do. And why are you taking time off—how are you not considered 'essential', you're one of his highness' advisors, too!"

Rubbing her temple, Shuurei swore under her breath at both of them. Could they just quiet down for a bit? It was late. She was so, so very tired…

"Perhaps Shuurei would like to visit her Kouchou-neesan? I don't think our favourite courtesan would mind if her little sister stopped by for a bit? In fact, since I'm headed back first thing in the morning, we can all go together and-."

"You cannot take Shuurei there as a guest! Are you out of your mind!"

"She's been there hundreds of times before, Kouyuu-."

"As an employee! Do you know what Seiran would do to us if he were to find out we'd-!"  
"Could the two of you just shut UP for the night before I call Seiran here anyway to bind your tongues!" exploded the young woman beside them.

Silence fell at the voicing of her second-most-potent threat. (Yes, second.)

Shuuei quickly remedied the situation.

"I'm sorry, Shuurei-chan," he said softly, re-arranging the blankets around them both so the heavier one was pushed to the end of the bed and only the lighter one made it to her shoulders. He sighed as he lay down on his back again and helped sweep her hair away from her neck and shoulders, and with a deft movement of his wrist, started fanning her with the large bamboo fan he'd received. "Is that better?" he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Oy! She'd be better if you weren't crowding her!"

The only one still sitting up in the large bed (to Shuuei's other side), arms crossed, Kouyuu glared at his comfortable, languid husband again. "Now stop talking so much and let her get some sleep!"

A smirk crossed Shuuei's lips. "Oh, I can think of a way that will tire her out so she sleeps straight through until morning…"

"You pervert! Stop corrupting my wife!"  
"Our wife."

"I'm contemplating widow-hood," said-wife informed them tersely.

"I assure you, it may mean a few minutes more heat, but you'll feel much more relaxed afterwards."

"What I would give for my own room," lamented Shuurei to herself as she tried to find a cool spot on her pillow, eyes closed. "Don't stop fanning, Shuuei."

"I won't."

"Oy! Why didn't you get me a fan!"

Yes, it was another hot summer night in the Kou-Li-Ran household again…

* * *

AN: My fav new word: thermantidote. :D (Thank you, online thesaurus. Your ridiculous suggestions are appreciated.) Concrit appreciated, as always.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: The Bad Influence**  
Author**: beyondthemoor on LJ**  
Word Count**: approx. 2,300 words**  
Genre**: PWP, fluff, humour, crack.**  
Pairing/Threesome**: Shuurei x Kouyuu x Shuei**  
Warnings**: Maybe some language? OOC? Allusions to sex/bad innuendo.**  
Rating**: T for the above**  
Prompt**: Unconventional**  
Summary**: An addition to the Shuurei x Kouyuu x Shuei threesome series. Shuei's been a bad influence on them all. In court. Right under Ryuuki's nose…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own SaiMono. This story is completely fictional. And cracked.

**AN**: Written for the May 2010 saiun_challenge second anniversary! Apologies for errors & OOC, I wrote this in one sitting this afternoon. And I think my orange juice had fermented, going by how PWP-ish this is.

* * *

Trying to maintain a perfectly calm, blank façade under Ryuuki's scrutiny was very difficult in that moment, Shuurei found.

To her left, Kouyuu was holding up admirably well, though the slight colouring to his cheeks was a bit of a giveaway. She almost wanted to feel bad for him; he just wasn't having a good day. _Well…_, her gaze wandered lower, to his belt-line for a moment, before reconsidering. It had its up and downs, she supposed.

To her left, Shuei's glinting eyes more or less undid all the work her cajoling and pleading had accomplished a few minutes earlier.

Shoulders slumping slightly, the young official looked forward again to the Emperor who sulked as he paced the small anteroom, his disappointment in them evident in his every line.

This was all Shuei's fault, she decided in a huff, then and there. He was a bad influence.

* * *

_(About half an hour earlier)_

"—but we need to be in court in less than twenty minutes, and you know I have to go find Kouyuu first, which means-," Shuei took her lovely hand in his larger one, and smiled reassuringly. They were alone in the long, echoing corridor, and he allowed himself the familiar gesture.

"It'll only take a minute, I promise. And Kouyuu's already waiting for us with the evidence."  
She eyed her husband warily. "He's still there, are you sure? You know how he sits down for a nap and wakes up in a different room… What is this about? Evidence of what? I thought I already—"  
"I told you, you'll see when you get there; we found a lead on a certain something we think you should see, but the walls have ears," he murmured the last bit against her earlobe, before giving it a quick kiss.

That enticing, promising kiss should have warned her he was hiding something, but she was too rushed to think on it further. She had just under twenty minutes, so whatever it was, she could take a look and they should still have time to make it to the assembly.

"All right, but we need to be present for the vote to support His Highness."

"Of course."

* * *

_(Which led to…)_

"I need to-!"

She gasped as the last tremors subsided, her breathing harsh as she rested her forehead on Shuei's shoulder. Behind her, she felt Kouyuu's hands retreat from her sated skin, leaving soft caresses in their wake. "You two will be the death of me."

"Only the 'little death', my love," smiled Shuei, kissing her brow. "Hold still, I'm trying to fix your hair."

"I'm ready to put your middle-robes back on, just hold out your arms…"

Still behind her, Kouyuu held out the voluminous fabric and wrapped it around his wife's slender, still slightly sweat-dampened frame as fast as he could, clumsily leaving folds and wrinkles in his haste.

"Stupid, stupid cloth, why aren't you working!" His brow furrowed adorably – or it would have been adorable, if Shuurei hadn't been in such a rush to get back to work; really, they all needed to hurry back, as soon as they could! And damn Kouyuu, he had better start getting dressed again himself if they were going to—

"Time?"

"Four minutes, we'll make it."

"Is my make-up smudged?"

"Not very much – blame it on a morning snack."

"Shuei, put on some clothes!"

He just smirked as he put the finishing touches on her hair.

"How was this a good idea again?" she grumbled ungratefully, slapping Kouyuu's fussing hands away and pointing to her over-robe. As he bent over, she gave a quick tug to the back of his own robe, to untuck it from where it had hitched to his inner-belt underneath (he'd dressed in the blink of an eye, and again, Shuurei found herself jealous of how much easier her husbands had it in the wardrobe department). _Much better_, she thought approvingly, shooting a quick glance at his posterior, unbeknownst to him. Not that she hadn't seen a fair bit more of both of them, while they'd been… collectively distracted by 'Kouyuu's evidence'.

_So that's what Shuei's new name for it was._

"You weren't complaining three and a half minutes ago…"

Her eyes flashed murderously at Shuei's smug grin. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her still-pinked cheeks going redder, felt the way her robe pressed against her now-unbound chest (they didn't have time for wrappings), her still-sensitive body responding to his taunting all over again. Damn him. Thank goodness Kouyuu was still semi-functional.

Then she noticed even he was taking pause, staring at the gap in the front of her robes with hungry eyes.

With a pointed look, she tightened the robe with a quick tug, snapping him out of his daze. "Eyes up here, Kouyuu."

His voice a bit husky, the aqua-haired man forced his eyes upward with a small grin, and they remained steadily on hers as he held up the last piece of clothing. "All right, arms up again, and we'll just have to come back for the rest." He turned to their husband with an exasperated groan, then. "And Shuei, at least _put on your pants, we're opening the doors!_"

* * *

_(And that meant…)_

The speaker rose, and the room fell silent as Emperor Shi Ryuuki entered and sat majestically on his throne, overseeing the process. His golden eyes looked over the assembly with patient assessment, and while his expression remained blank, he wondered what on Earth had happened to his friends?  
They'd said they'd be there, and he knew at least Shuurei and Shuei were never late… But perhaps they'd had to go looking for Kouyuu again? Was that it? Really, he was going to assign that man a shadow…

His glance flickered over the crowd again, concerned.

But this was important!

All eyes were on the speaker as he raised his hand to commence the session.

"As was discussed, we will now commence the voting, all in favour, say-."

Ryuuki wondered if they were all right, and felt his heart constrict a moment. Had something befallen them?  
Before he finished the thought, however, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps pounded on the tile floors and echoed through the large room, accompanied by harsh panting and gasping as three of the Emperor's most trusted, respectable councilors careened into the chambers on a dead run, skidding to an undignified, hasty (and still gasping) pace as they crossed the floor.

"Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me," a polite feminine voice whispered as she took her place on the level. She parted her fellow officials as she moved through them, a soft murmur of voices following her path.

Kouyuu and Shuei, appearance distinctly more askew than just an hour or so earlier when he'd met with them in his private conference room, took their places at his side.

The speaker looked at them curiously as the murmurs continued, and glanced up at his Highness, seeking his permission to continue.

Ryuuki nodded, his eyes forward but catching glimpses of his closest friends out of his peripheral vision. Even Shuei looked worked over.

Had there been a scuffle? On the grounds?...

"We will now commence the voting…"

Ryuuki listened with half an ear, but now with his friends beside him, his worries had for the most part vanished. And as always, with his friends' arrival, they had brought with them the scent of his most beloved Shuurei. While he and she couldn't interact as much now as they used to, he found it almost soothing that her husbands often carried the faint traces of her perfume on their clothing (from living together, he assumed; though today its subtle scent seemed quite a bit stronger, he noticed…).

Returning to his more relaxed state, he eyed them all out of the corner of his line of sight, and wondered again at their disheveled conditions.

He'd find out later, if it mattered.… and it looked like Kouyuu had some scratches on the side of his neck. There was a reddish-pink mark… He wondered if he needed a medic.

To his other side, Ryuuki noticed that Shuei had similar marks on the opposite side of his throat.

They'd fought hard to wear such obvious signs of a passionate struggle – marks to the neck were so telling, he found.

And their faces were still a little red, though that was because they'd just exerted themselves quite physically. Obviously from running to court…

And yet, why was Kouyuu's mouth so red? His eyes so bright, so dark? His hair bound off to the side instead of centered? It must have been quite a brawl… He'd only ever seen Kouyuu that worked over when he'd come back to work in the palace following his month-long honey-moon with…

Wait a second.

Suspicion formed low in the Emperor's belly, and his brows drew together minutely as his gaze fell on Shuurei, before him.

Her face was as impassive as it always was in court, but he noticed the warm, encouraging look in her eyes as she looked up at him and met his gaze.

… and the way it softened, and her eyes darkened, as she looked at her husbands, on either side of him.

His eyes focused on her mouth, where he noticed the smallest trace of her smudged lipstick… the same colour as… wait, he'd just seen that pinky-red colour.

Twice.

Very, very close to him.

Ryuuki tore his eyes away from her mouth before he fell under their spell.

He couldn't let her distract him!

As always in court, her hands were tucked into her sleeves, but he saw a finger dart out to tug gently on the gold cord around the obi that wrapped around her waist. Her waist which was accentuated differently that morning…

Hm. Why were her proportions off?

Then it dawned on him. She wasn't wearing…

_Back to the obi! Back to the obi!_

Swallowing hard, the Emperor backpedaled quickly. He should not dwell on a married woman. A woman who was married to not one, but both his best friends.

Yes, the obi. A nice, safe obi. It was fine to think about obis. And cords.

It was almost imperceptible against her usual canary-bright obi; didn't she normally wear a more contrasting colour? He was sure he'd undressed her often enough with his own eyes to notice such a detail as that. Where was her usual crimson tie?...

But then, Ryuuki's eyes shot to Shuei's waist suspiciously, an onyx cord where normally he wore gold; and then to Kouyuu's, a crimson cord where he usually wore black.

Why were they all wearing each others'…?

His eyes widened as understanding finally dawned.

"…Motion passes, all dismissed until after the noonday meal…"

He hardly heard the words. He gave a quick glance at Shuei as he stood and departed for his own rooms, knowing the other man would gather his two colleagues—spouses—and join him there.

* * *

_(Which brings us back to…)_

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and vote this morning," Ryuuki's hurt tone conveyed all the disapproval and understanding he felt, and Shuurei almost sighed. Not this again. She was hoping the man would have gotten over her marriage, as unconventional as it was, by now…

"Shuei, We admit We aren't surprised. In fact, We've kind of expected this of you," confessed their ruler and friend, more animatedly. He turned to Kouyuu next. "And under Shuei's bad influence, We understand a bit how Kouyuu must have fallen prey."

Shuurei couldn't help it, her mouth dropped open at how openly Ryuuki attacked her husbands' characters. Did he really think so poorly of his most trusted advisors?

"Your Majesty," she began heatedly, taking a step towards him, "we apologise for our tardiness, but I feel this kind of personal-."

He whirled to face her, his desperation obvious in his wide eyes and earnest, pleading tone.

"And Shuurei! Why didn't you tell Us!"

Shuurei was thrown for a loop. "Your M-."

"Call Us Ryuuki!" he cried, bordering on tears of frustration. "If only We'd known! If you'd told Us that you felt that We couldn't have satisfied you by Ourselves, certainly we would have been hurt, but if this is why you refused Our proposal, We could have arranged something to your liking!"

_Oh no, he wasn't going there…_

A gleeful, maleficent troll from the far recesses of her mind suddenly popped up to contradict her own thoughts, shouting, _Oh yes, yes, he was!_

Like a horrible caravan accident that gained momentum as it tumbled down a mountainside, the emotional young man seized her hands in his and held on tightly as horror bloomed across Shuurei's face.

"We could have invited them!" he exclaimed regretfully. "We could have gone to any room you wanted in the entire palace! During working hours!"

_Oh gods it was getting worse._

"If you would have only accepted Us, we could have called aniue—I mean, _Seiran,_ in to join us!"

In the shadowed corridor behind the Emperor, the sound of a large metal sword clattered noisily to the ground, accompanied by the sound of a broad hand loudly palming a handsome, silver-fringed face.

"Your High—er, Ryuuki, you need to stop this-."

"But Seiran's really good! We've heard the rumours!" His voice dropped an octave and he leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially to her. "Much, much better than your husbands, according to-."

A loud, angry coughing and a menacing glare erupted from the direction of said-husbands.

Flushed with embarrassment, but full of brotherly adoration, Ryuuki turned to the men to shout, "Well, it's true! Seiran _is_ better than-."

"You know, this isn't how I expected to get reprimanded this morning," muttered Shuurei to the ground as her eyebrow ticked in annoyance. Ryuuki still refused to relinquish his hold on her, though he, Shuei and Kouyuu now stood nearly toe-to-toe, arguing about which two men she _should_ have married. "I'd really hoped for an uneventful day…"

Of course, there was one man who hadn't missed a word she said.

"Oh, how did you _want_ to be punished?"

"Oy! That sparkle in your eye is indecent! Don't say things like that around my wife!"

"Our wife."

"She should have been Our wife!" howled their proud nation's leader. Ryuuki still held her hands, as if by keeping her captive he could physically make her stay by his side in spite of her consummated bonds of marriage. "Or even Our and Seiran's wife!" he added enthusiastically, obviously warming up to this option the more he thought about it. (There came the suspicious sound of someone coughing and tripping nearby, though there were only four of them present in the room…)

"Your Highness," ground out Shuei as he finally started losing his temper: Probably at the repeated mention of the Kou family's personal retainer. "Please apologise to my husband and wife… and return our wife to our custody."

As they continued to debate which pair of men would have made her a happier, more 'respectable' wife in a fine, upstanding ménage-a-trois, Shuurei again wondered at how in all the heavens she'd ended up in this situation in the first place. _And also, why wasn't Seiran coming to help her? He was just around the corner. She knew he was, she'd heard his stupid sword fall! That coward!_

(-In his defense, it was true that Seiran's sword was giving him problems.-)

Shuurei gave her hands a tug, but Ryuuki held fast. Too tired to fight much more, she sighed, her shoulders slumping further. As usually happened, she was a bit worn out, what with the afterglow and all…

The men's voices got louder again, and she winced.

Gods, not this argument _again_…

Because sure, many men had multiple wives or concubines. But she was the only woman with two husbands that she knew of.

Hooking her foot around a nearby stool, Shuurei leaned, hopped and dragged it close enough to sit down upon it. It would be a while.

No, things had never been the same since that unfortunate ice storm.

* * *

AN: Yes, this fic ranks right up there in maturity. XD For any who enjoy this series, there are two more installments in the works. Yes, the honeymoon is one of them. 8)


	5. Chapter 5

"And how are you planning on breaking the news to her?"

"… with you by my side?"

Shuei smirked. "So you do need reinforcements?"

"No, but a show of unity and military strength may not be entirely out of the question."

"You're exaggerating."

At this (completely incorrect, in his opinion) accusation, Kouyuu's irritated, nervous attention whirled to land on his husband.

"Do you have any idea how she's going to react once she gets home?"

"I'm sure we'll be able to reason with her-."

"NO! She budgets everything—she'll notice right away!"

Digging his hands into his wild hair with frustration, Kouyuu keeled forward as if he'd been punched. The realization of just how much trouble they were truly in once their wife returned home was sinking in, slowly and sickeningly.

"Kouyuu," Shuei sighed, and put an arm around the other man's narrower shoulders, "I know Shuurei, too, and I think we'll manage."

"You gave Seiran a raise and a vacation on the same day – forcibly!"

"It will forever feel like a walk of shame when we wake up in our own home, otherwise."

"We're so doomed," lamented Kouyuu with his face in his hands, completely ignoring Shuei.

The dark-haired man merely sighed.

* * *

**TBC.**


	6. Chapter 6

"If we could just discuss this a bit longer-."

_Huff, huff!_

"No time!"

"It isn't going to work."

_Huff, huff!_

"You're just chicken."

Face still impassive, Seiran withheld a sigh. Chicken? Him?

Then he considered his brother's—the Emperor's—words. In this case, perhaps it wouldn't be so far-fetched to imply he held… reservations.

If not outright concerns.

"Are you certain this is necessary?" he asked instead.

From his place high up in the branches of the tree that spread its boughs over the palace gardens, Ryuuki nodded his head fiercely. Still panting, he clung tightly to the branch with arms and legs, his robes askew around him.

"She will walk by here very soon; when she does, I'll 'slip', and then you show up to assist her when she rushes over to help me."

"I'm sure there are other ways to get her attention, your Highness, to speak to her. While she may be married now, she is still your friend."

"Erm…." Ryuuki wasn't so sure considering their last few interactions. Hence this new plan to Regain Shuurei's Trust and Friendship!

"But she's going to be upset, which means it'll need to be something a bit more drastic," assured Ryuuki with confidence, redirecting expertly.

Seiran's eyebrows suddenly rose at that remark._ How did he know th-?_

"—Shhh! Get down!" hissed Ryuuki from above.

His 'reservations' having just effectively doubled, Seiran was already moving away to slide behind a pillar.

… barely resisting the urge to rub away his sprouting headache.

"Oh my goodness, your Highness!" cried a nearby servant, obviously having spotted the errant Emperor-in-hiding.

Said urge increased exponentially when he heard his brother gasp in surprise, and then wild scrabbling...

* * *

**TBC.**


	7. Chapter 7

Laid out in the comfort of his office, Ryuuki's golden orbs fluttered open and looked up to find Shuurei peering down at him, concern clear in her eyes.

"Your Highness?"

"Shuurei…" he croaked, and winced. His head was throbbing. Why was that again?...

His long, tapered fingers slipped into his hair to rub at his bruised skull, and brushed against a stray leaf.

Oh, right…

"Thank goodness you're all right!" the talented woman, his one true love!, exclaimed, raising a delicate hand to her chest.

At her words, the young ruler felt his heart soar. She'd really come! His beloved was at his side once more, taking care of him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears of worry and emotion, and surely she'd now divorce her useless husbands (even if they were his most trusted advisors) and declare her undying love for him and stay with him and—

-and-

…-and why were her eyes hardening?

"You IDIOT!" she screeched, her fists balling tightly in the lapels of his no-longer-quite-so-immaculate robe. "What in all of Saiunkoku were you doing climbing a-," words he never realized she knew erupted violently from her lips, "—tree!"

… ah, ahahahah, a slight miscalculation, it seemed. No matter! Time for them to mend their fences—bridges—canyons!—...moats?—whatever it was that lay between them!

"To see you," he replied as feebly as he could manage. Perhaps if he subtly reminded her he was in pain, she would calm herself and tend to him some more. Or at least release her grip, it was starting to choke him.

But not likely.

"Why didn't you just ask me!"

Stupid Seiran coughed from the next room over.

Fighting the urge not to poke his pointer fingers together in front of his chest, Ryuuki felt his fair brow crossing in hurt. "Because you've been so wrapped up with your new life…"

"I'm still working here at the palace every single day," she ground out between her teeth.

"But you're not here at night anymore! We never see you!" -_at bed-time_, he added mentally.

A vein throbbed visibly in Shuurei's temple.

-before she promptly exploded, rapping him on the head with her knuckles with a wanton disregard for his wounds. "Of course not! I'm married—it means I go home at night instead of sleeping in my office," she growled. Then her eyes grew distant and hard a moment. "At least I wasn't sleeping in my office. I may be re-evaluating that decision," she muttered under her breath, letting him go so he dropped with a thud to the cushion beneath him. She turned away and crossed her arms over her chest, her earlier bad humour returning full force.

"Trouble at home?" he asked hopefully, momentarily forgetting his head injury.

Shuurei skewered him with a glance.

"What kind of reaction was that? And… how did you know?..."

"Er… We'd heard you were upset… and… We assumed it was…"

Shuurei's eyes narrowed on her fearless leader, and he swallowed, his eyebrow twitching nervously.

"I don't remember mentioning anything to anyone," she replied evenly.

"Oh, it must have been Seiran…since he was the one they gave the vacation to…"

The slow, knowing shaking of her head cut off his excuses.

"I changed his orders, your Highness. Which makes me very curious to know how you came to hear about the original ones."

"Ahhhh…. Er… you see…"

The hardness of Shuurei's eyes suddenly melted away, replaced by a fiery glint.

"Your Highness—."

"R-r-ryuuki," he interjected weakly, desperate to soften the forthcoming blow.

"I believe I am needed elsewhere. At home, in fact. Because I owe my husbands an explanation, and by the sounds of things, a thorough apology." She stood, and collected her things from a nearby table in quick, snapping movements. "I don't know what kind of subliminal message you inserted in their heads, but I am going to go wipe it clean," she said darkly. Then her eyes sought his and held them. "I trust I don't need to tell you to never pull this kind of stunt again?"

"But-but-but—what about me?" he gasped, raising up on his elbows to watch her depart. His vision swam a moment, and he held his head again.

"You have all night to think about that, while I'll have all night to… correct the error of your ways," she said sweetly, and nodded goodbye. "Correct it very, _very_ enthusiastically. Until we're hoarse from it. Have a wonderful evening, your Highness."

As the door slid shut with a light clack, Ryuuki slumped down onto the settee again.

And groaned.

All night?

Really?

He sighed.

* * *

**TBC.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: These little scenes/ snippets/ extended drabbles don't follow chronological order. They're written mostly as they come to my warped little head—so, um, please excuse my messy brain?**

**And now, for one of the scenes I know you've **_**allllll**_** been waiting for!**

* * *

_**The wedding reception**_

Since he'd become an advisor to the Emperor at the Imperial Court, Kouyuu had been exposed to all kinds of dangers. Threats, assassination attempts, burglaries, assaults with a deadly flute; it happens when one was such a high-ranking officer.

He never thought his most dangerous encounter would actually be his own wedding reception.

At the kitchen table, they sat together, he on one side of Shuurei, Shuei on her other. Shuurei had insisted on remaining at home and celebrating 'privately'; he had a feeling she'd anticipated the reactions of her family members and was trying to enact a bit of pre-emptive damage control. She was probably one of the very few Seiran would listen to, and at this point, Kouyuu would take any effort that would put a buffer between himself and the bipolar retainer. Since the moment he and Shuei had arrived—when Seiran had been sharpening the knives—to the call for supper—when Seiran had come in from chopping extra firewood—to the time they all sat down to dinner—when Seiran had insisted on escorting Shuurei to the table himself with a smile, then sent her two new spouses a glare with his red-gleaming EYES THAT PROMISED FATALLY PAINFUL DEATH IF SHE SO MUCH AS HICCUPED WRONG BECAUSE OF THEM—he hadn't felt like a very welcome guest that night.

It didn't bode well for him and Shuei when they started moving their belongings in.

Then again, seeing as how he and Shuei had 'accidentally' both married the Kou princess, without her father's blessing, her clan's approval, or cheerfully offering to be soundly beaten by her family retainer first,… this wasn't unexpected.

Thank the gods he'd remembered to bring a chicken to eat that night.

At least it had given the silver-haired man something to kill—er, he meant, 'warm up'with, rather. First.

Kouyuu swallowed to try and wet his tight, dry throat.

Had Seiran always left his swords and ceremonial armour in the kitchen when they'd eaten there before?...

Then he blanched as he heard the latest guest arrive.

_Ohgodsno,herecomesReishin—_

* * *

**TBC.**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Wedding Night, Part I**

Dusk was approaching and Shuurei rode home from Kougarou with her Kouchou-neesan by her side in the carriage her 'big sister' had arranged for her.

The older woman watched her nervous fidgeting, and with a peaceful, knowing smile, reached out and gently lay her hand on Shuurei's, giving it a small squeeze.

Shuurei glanced up, then, her wide eyes overflowing with questions she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Everyone's nervous on their wedding night."

"How many are walking to double-gallows, though?" grumbled Shuurei, an irritated, excited, embarrassed flush staining her cheeks.

"Do you have any idea how many would love to be in your shoes for the evening?" teased Kouchou, red lips shaped seductively.

"Is trading places so out of the question?"

Kouchou chuckled, a lively glint to her eyes, and the carriage slowed to a stop.

"We're here."

Shuurei swallowed audibly, and paled.

"Oh, my darling." With a sympathetic, loving sigh, the more experienced woman leaned forward and pulled Shuurei to her heart, embracing her. "You are always welcome to visit me, no questions asked. No, I lie, I will ask questions, but you won't be obliged to answer. I will make time for _you_, Shuurei. A woman's first year of marriage can be trying in the best of times—and ways—and I have plenty of suggestions on how to train your two gentlemen. But," she paused, and drew away from Shuurei to look her in the eye, quietly communicating, _She knew she was strong. She could do this. _

The younger woman swallowed thickly before hardening her gaze at feeling, seeing, her sister's complete support.

Her spine straightened, and she nodded. Shoulders set, Shuurei let go of Kouchou, who let her arms drop in return.

Kouchou smirked approvingly.

"That's better. You are in the best of hands, believe me, little one."

"Thank you."

"Now, go consummate your marriage! Chop chop!" With a few quick claps for emphasis, Kouchou laughed at Shuurei's peeved expression.

"… everyone seems so much more enthusiastic about this than me..."

* * *

"W-we thought, since it's, with there being two of us and one of you, but usually only two of, that is, for you, we-."

"Kouyuu."

"Since this is such an important day, to make you more comfortable, and relaxed, and not overwhelmed, or scared, and-."

Quirking an eyebrow, Shuurei tried again. "Kouyuu."

Completely immersed in his awkward, nervous tizzy, Kouyuu missed his wife's attempts to get his attention.

"Shuei will be joining us later, after he's finished seeing your father, and Seiran, and Reishin off, and locking the doors, and possibly booby-trapping a few of the entranceways to just, maybe, delay them, since they were reluctant to let us spend our wedding night with you, and-."

"_Kouyou!_"

"Hah?"

Shuurei grabbed his sleeve and gave him a quick shake.

"… It's ok. How about… how about we… make some tea?" she finished lamely, but smiled timidly at him all the same, her blush flourishing anew across her cheeks.

"… tea?"

Completely confused, his normally shaggy hair a complete mess, Kouyuu's highly developed mind stalled and prevented him from making the connection between 'tea' and… his previous worries. Intentions. Ultimate goals. Outright fears.

"Mmhmmm… kanro tea? It's… one of my favourites. I usually only share it with father and Seiran, but… I would like to share it with you, too."

"Oh."

She waited a moment, worrying her bottom lip, before she took a deep breath when he didn't react.

So she would take the first step.

_All right, here goes-!_

And with her mind made up, she tugged his sleeve, leading him to the kitchen to boil the water.

"Come on," she ordered, dragging him along behind her. He offered no resistance.

And while Kouyuu told himself it was because he didn't want to get lost in her—now their—home their first night together, and it was just because he didn't want her to accidentally tear his sleeve (Shuurei's deceptively small stature hid surprising strength), he could admit to himself that it was also more, and without another thought he tugged his sleeve free and instead took her hand in his warmer one.

Neither remarked on it, but Shuurei's blush intensified.

-And deepened further when he gave her a quick, gentle squeeze.

Feeling somewhat calmer—and yet a hitch more excited, too—Kouyuu relaxed and followed her lead.

They were both still a bit pink in the face when they went to light the stove-fire.

* * *

"Do you like it?"

"Very much," he admitted, smiling faintly at her over the rim of his cup.

It was peaceful in the kitchen, and each appreciated it following the… rather harrowing and unorthodox wedding ceremony they'd shared earlier that day.

"You handled the tea-ceremony well, this morning," remarked Kouyuu, trying for a bit of normalcy.

Remembering how she'd had to serve first the Ran triplets (who stood in for Shuei's parents), then her uncle Reishin (who seemed to be basking lovingly in her attention—too lovingly, in her opinion, actually… it had bordered on uncomfortable when he'd gazed at her and asked for her hand in marriage in front of his own son, her new husband…), then her father (who would have probably seemed much less threatening if he'd just kept his eyes pleasantly creased the way he normally did, instead of opening them just enough to stare down her new husbands…), Shuurei wasn't sure she'd done very well at all.

Grimacing at the recollection, she drew another cup of tea for Kouyuu when he held out his cup, before refilling her own.

"I'm not sure about 'well', but we handled it. Together."

"Far better than Shuei and I – I hope your father's robes aren't ruined."

"Nothing I can't wash out later, don't worry," she laughed, smiling. Her poor husbands—even Shuei had been nervous and ended up spilling his tea when there'd been that strange metallic flash… She was almost sure it had come from Seiran's side…

"Luckily, that was the pot that father had made… I can't blame Shuei for his mis-step," she teased.

"Hmm?"

Shuurei dismissed Kouyuu's questioning tone with a wave. "You'll see," she assured him.

Sipping the last of her cup, Shuurei leaned back a moment and closed her eyes, relaxing for the first time all day.

"Thank you," she said, when Kouyuu gently took the cup from her fingers, refilling it for her as she'd done for him all day, all night.

She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, "My turn, my pleasure."

As he slid the cup carefully back into her hand, their fingers touched, warmth spreading quickly all the way up Shuurei's fingers and arm that had nothing to do with the tea.

Both blushed faintly once more.

* * *

"I'll do that," said Kouyuu, reaching to collect the tea implements onto their tray late that night.

"It's fine, I'll just give them a quick rinse, and-."

The tall man shook his head and gave her a look. "Sit, you've been on your feet all day." His hands closed over hers, and with a gentle squeeze—he'd made so many such small, intimate gestures all day-, he slid the tray from her tired fingers, turning towards the stove to collect one last kettle-full of boiling water for tea to take back to their room. Half-mumbling, his back to her, he said, "You need to learn to let others take care of you, even if it is only the little things."

Somewhat confused, she retorted. "I do let others help me. Father, and Seiran, and…-."

Her voice trailed off, and he peeked over his should and caught her eye.

"…Not them."

Pouring the water slowly, carefully into the pot, he removed it from the stove, replaced the teapot on the tray, and took one more cup from the sideboard, to make a total of three.

"We'd like the chance to be relied upon, too."

It only took a moment to sink in, but when it did, she smiled a bit self-consciously.

"It will take some time," she admitted.

"We do indeed have some of that ahead of us," he replied with a soft smile.

"Hopefully a long, long time," agreed Shuei, coming tiredly through the door to join them.

"Shuei!"

As he entered, he bent over to cuddle Shuurei from behind, kissing the top of her hair before going to lean against the counter beside Kouyuu, alongside the stove. He gave the other man a squeeze around his middle and peck on the cheek, too, obviously happy to be 'home' with them again in the warmth of their kitchen. He was quickly learning to love the sound and feel of 'their' kitchen.

"It went well, then?" asked Kouyuu, picking up the cup he'd just added to the tray, filling and offering it to the newcomer.

"Ah," replied the dark-haired man as he gratefully accepted, his eyes softening as he looked over at his husband and wife.

Whether Shuurei noticed or not in the darkening shadows, Kouyuu wasn't sure, but he couldn't miss the tired lines around his friend's face.

With that, he nodded towards the hallway. "Time for bed. I'll carry the tray."

"Such a slavedriver," murmured Shuei suggestively, but neither spouse missed how he stifled his yawn.

Even Shuurei giggled tiredly, and had just enough spunk left to quip, "I never thought you one to complain about such things, Shuei."

"My turn, my pleasure later," he assured her with a wink.

"Oy! Bedtime, everyone," Kouyuu repeated with a yawn of his own, and he herded them to the door.

"Hai hai… follow me," grinned their wife.

And with that, they settled in under the blankets of Shuurei's—now their-bed in her room; Shuei in the middle, Kouyuu and Shuurei nestled into a warm cuddle on either side of him.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: I know, I know. You want more of my terribly written semi-pr0n… I'm working on it… Apologies for the errors / rushed-ness of this chapter, I'm a bit tired but still wanted to get this out.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Confession**  
**Rating: M**  
**Genre: Romance, PWP, fluff**  
**Universe: AR (alternate reality)**  
**Length: approx... 5,800 words**  
**Pairing/moresome: Kouyuu x Shuurei x Shuei**

**Disclaimer: SaiMono is copyright its proper rightsholders.**

**AN: Happy (belated! Urk, sorry!) Birthday, imanewme! And happy birthday, saiun_challenge!**

* * *

The shadows were lengthening, and Shuurei glanced up to see she was alone in the office. After working diligently for hours on her report, compiling and calculating statistics and evidence for the child-smuggling group she was assigned to investigate, she felt the tight, uncomfortable pangs of hunger deep in her stomach. With a sigh she collected her papers and tools together, and locked them securely in her cabinet. Next, she wrapped up the duplicates and carried them in her satchel, and with a quick puff to put out the light, closed and locked the door behind her. Seiga had been absent on some kind of undercover mission for the past few days, and she'd finally been able to work uninterrupted on her assignment. It had been heavenly. The insufferable bastard was due back in another day or so, though, and she fully expected a new round in his sneering commentary on her personal life to begin once he set foot back inside their department. She would have to do something about it, since ignoring him wasn't getting her point across to him, but she was at a loss as to what. At least soon her report would be ready and she'd be able to move on to a new assignment-that would mean more time out in the field again, which she had missed. Shuei had smirked when he'd figured out how much she enjoyed being "away from her desk job," as he'd called it.

_ "I happen to find it-."_

_ "Absolutely. Enthralling," Shuei had leaned in to whisper against her ear. When he pulled back, their eyes met, held. He couldn't help the rush of pure, masculine pride that coursed through him at her darkening eyes. "Ahhh... You get a rush from hunting them down and bringing them to justice, don't you, hmmm? You feel alive when on an adventure."_

_She'd blushed, and folded her arms across her chest. "And if I do?"_

_He'd smirked smugly and, reaching behind him, pulled out and handed her a set of weighted practice daggers, followed by a wooden sword. "In that case, we need to make sure you can take care of yourself, don't we?"_

_Surprised, she'd stared up at him, unsure and confused._

_Shuei shook his head and with a patient sigh, brought her petite hands up to clasp the weapons. "Please, humour me so I worry just a little bit less. Have some sympathy for your poor, beleaguered husbands who lie awake waiting for you late at night."_

_ "You'll teach me?"_

_ He nodded, serious for once. "Everything you need to know. And more," he promised._

_Her smile had broadcast her gratitude-and excitement-at his protective, and in its own way, affectionate, gesture._

_ Of course, it had led to daily practice with the weapons, and physical exercise, and martial arts training in hand-to-hand combat, too, in an effort to bring her skills up to par. Thriving on the challenge, she had gone at him with everything she had, and... he'd responded with everything he had, too. And 'respond' had been the word; what had started as personal, private lessons had flared into heated exchanges, then into physical ones. Now when they sparred, it was passionate foreplay as much as skill and technique. And they couldn't practice outside their home anymore; that was for sure, after a certain incident..._

_ "You'll teach me more?" she'd gasped, arching into him._

_ "More," he'd assured her, and stifled a groan as he'd moved within her._

_ "More," she repeated, demanded, her fingers tangling in his long, dark, silky hair. Their eyes met, his looking down at her as her own hair was splayed out in tussled tangles on the grass beneath them._

_ His eyes never left hers. "So much more," he's whispered meaningfully, almost painfully, leaning his forehead against hers. "Always."_

_ Her mouth had gone dry at the way he'd said it._

_ What was he... ? _

_ When had it changed from a marriage of convenience to... _

_ Shuurei couldn't bring herself to say it, fear cloying in her throat._

_ "Shuei?" She'd managed, a heartbeat later._

_ He'd paused before finally smirking to himself in self-defeat, and heaving a sigh, shook his head as if he couldn't believe it himself. Then he smiled softly down at her, bathed in the bright afternoon sunlight, pure adoration in his eyes; he brushed his lips against hers, and said, "How do you not already know I love you, Shuurei?" before he sealed his vow with a kiss. _

_It had taken her a moment to overcome her sheer surprise; but when she finally did and reciprocated, he moaned appreciatively into her mouth, deepening the kiss until Shuurei felt her toes curling, desire coursing through her in hot, rolling waves. Her hips had risen instinctively to welcome him more deeply home. He hadn't missed her reaction, and as he gradually picked up his pace again she felt him smirk into the crook of her neck with a mixture of satisfaction and relief when she gasped at the feeling of him touching her inside, all over again. The man was the living incarnation of love and sin._

Remembering the moment they'd shared, when she'd truly understood Shuei cared for her and her wellbeing as his wife and not simply as his friend made her smile as she strode down the hallway. It had been a few days since their last round of lessons... and she wondered briefly if Kouyuu was interested in learning swordplay with them. Maybe she could talk him into it? she considered as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she came back to herself. Then again, sometimes it was nice to have something just between two of them, that wasn't necessarily shared with the other. Something special which was simply _theirs_.

Another long, satisfying day of progress under her belt, and Shuurei rounded the corner before Kouyuu's office in the Civil Affairs department. At Shuei's suggestion, they'd worked out that the best arrangement was for her to collect Kouyuu after their day was done, since it was on her way out of the palace towards their home.

Shuurei had readily agreed (despite Kouyuu protesting loudly he didn't need an escort) and admitted privately to herself that it was adorable the way Kouyuu's expression softened into a smile when she would arrive each night, regardless of his original opposition. Just seeing the expectant, faintly eager tilt to his eyebrows (when he heard her coming), or his lips parted slightly in pleased surprise (when she'd be able to sneak up on him - or deliberately tear him away from his piles of work when he was far too engrossed in it for his own good, not that she was any better), made her heart swell with warmth and affection for him.

But when she met him that night, he was in a terrible mood.

"Why did they think it was acceptable to do this? WHY?" He raged, ripping at his own (now completely dishevelled) hair. Kouyuu stared down at the document in his hand, completely flabbergasted. "And how are we going to fix it now, now that we no longer have the other..." His words trailed off in mixed mutterings.

He'd sent the last of the aids home at least an hour ago, and had been pouring over the latest disaster ever since, determined to come up with at least some form of plausible explanation before the next assembly.

But every solution he'd considered had failed him when he'd pursued it beyond its initial stages. After missing his lunch and supper because of the issue, he was tired and frustrated, and overall just cranky.

So distracted was he that he didn't realise the time, or recognise the approaching footsteps and knock at his office door.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Of course not! Can't you see I'm working!" he'd snapped, not even properly hearing the feminine voice from the doorway.

The soft, light footsteps had paused where they were.

"Go away, or I'll have you suspended," he barked, his hand running through and tugging painfully on his loose hair. His tie had fallen out long ago; he hadn't bothered to pick it up again.

"...Kouyuu?"

He whirled around then, his eyes murderous-"Did you not-," then stopped dead. "Oh Shuurei, I'm... I didn't realise it was you," he stumbled, embarrassed and awkward, his shoulders slumping.

She nodded, and as he stepped back, she made her way into his paper-strewn office. It was like someone had waged war on the archives, there were books and scrolls and loose sheets everywhere. His usually neat piles had scattered to all corners of the room... and she hoped it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but she was almost sure that the paper-carpet in the far corner had just moved on its own.

Hearing her husband's deep sigh, she let him be and set about picking up the detritus, starting from one side of the room and making her way over, sorting as she went. He wasn't ready to leave; they had learned to choose their battles with each other. A paper wasn't worth an argument.

Back at his desk, his back to her, Kouyuu went back to staring at his work with unfocused eyes.

Why couldn't he figure it out?

Over and over the scenarios played out in his head, each time reaching a dead end.

Sometime later-he must have drifted off, as he couldn't remember what his last thought was-Kouyuu felt the cool touch of fingertips against his forehead, smoothing away some of his shaggy bangs, and gently running down to cup his cheek.

"Are you ready to come home for supper now?" she asked, her voice tired and quiet, before swallowing a yawn. In her small hand she held out his hair-tie, and he took it from her wordlessly to tidy himself.

It was then that Kouyuu realised it was fully dark in his office.

He hadn't made a dent in his work.

His wife, who'd already had her own full day of work-and been on the receiving end of his earlier tantrum-had spent the last who-only-knew-how-long cleaning his office (and re-organizing his work), was now gently rubbing his aching head and begging to go home so she could rest.

But she wouldn't leave him.

He felt like a heel.

Swallowing tightly at the shame that burned his chest, Kouyuu leaned forward in his seat and wrapped his arms around Shuurei's waist, tugging her close to him until she stood between his knees and he could bury his face in her soft silken robes.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

Threading her hands in his hair, and finger-picking out some of the tangles he'd inflicted upon himself when he'd hastily re-tied it, she sighed and leaned forward into him, too. "Bad day?"

He growled in response, and Shuurei couldn't help the grin that spread faintly across her lips.

"I know you didn't mean it, earlier. Stop feeling guilty," she admonished, and let one of her hands drift down to stroke his back. "All right?"

"I..."

Shaking her head as his voice trailed off, Shuurei almost rolled her eyes. "Have I mentioned my bastard colleague is due back any day now?" she teased, and felt Kouyuu's shoulders tense up beneath her fingers.

"I'll talk to Shuei," her husband promised darkly.

She shook her head and laughed. "No, no, but... I know I'll be a bear in a few days, too. If I can help you for even a little bit, it makes me feel better. And helps relieve some of the guilt I'll feel after the way I'll be acting soon," she admitted wryly.

They shared a small chuckle, and tightened their arms around each other. And Kouyuu raised his head up, straightening slightly to gaze into Shuurei's lovely, loving face. Their faces were inches apart, and he thought that was far too great a distance, so he leaned in, pleased when she instinctively closed the gap between them, too. Their warm breath mingled as he reached up to cup her cheek, smiling against her mouth. The hand at her cheek slid to her throat where he felt her pulse fluttering rapidly, and her breathing increased, further pleasing him.

He loved her so much.

He wanted to tell her.

He finally-overwhelmingly-_needed_ to confess.

So he did.

"It wasn't an accident."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head at him, not understanding what he meant. Her shifting robes had muffled his words; had she misunderstood?

"The meeting that you, Shuei and I had, where we ended up locked away. The very first night. The one that led to us all getting married. It wasn't an accident."

It was slow, but he felt Shuurei stiffening in his arms.

"... What?"

He refused to let her pull away. It was selfish, wanting to have her so close to him, but he craved her attention, comfort, recognition. So he held fast, even as she tried to turn away from him and distance herself.

It hurt.

"I hadn't meant for things to go the way they did, but I had wanted us to be alone, there."

She stopped moving at his words, simply staring down at him; and he felt his courage wavering, and forced himself to carry on.

"I wanted to talk to you, just the two of us, with no one else there. I wanted you to know, to hear from me, not your father or my father, that I wanted... that I thought..." **S**truggling to find the words, he sighed harshly, his grasp tightening on her waist, "I wanted to ask you if you would consider me a suitor, with the intention of marriage."

Still held in his grip, Shuurei said nothing, too shocked to form words. The air caught in her throat and she forgot to breathe. Kouyuu noticed her lack of exhale, but said nothing.

Unconsciously Kouyuu fingers kneaded the skin of her sides, the silk under his fingers wrinkling with the force of his grip, his anxiety and guilt manifesting themselves painfully for them both.

"When I tutored you, Shuurei, before you joined the palace, you made me realise not all women were useless; when I bandaged your hands, when you were assigned to work in the men's room, you made me recognise your determination and integrity; and when you gave yourself to Shuei and I, that night, when you gave us, gave me, that trust, you made me fall in love." He swallowed, steadying himself. "More in love," he amended, his voice slightly thick.

"...I didn't make you do anything," she said uncertainly, after a few minutes of reflection. Which she truly believed; she hadn't thought she'd done anything to... deliberately gain his attention. Had she?

_ Had she?_

"You... before any of this even started, you... cared about me?"

Kouyuu grimaced. "You make it sound like an impossibility."

"No! No, it's just..." Her voice trailed off.

As she distracted herself, he coaxed her into relaxing, sitting down across his lap. With a sigh, she gave in to his earnest efforts to redeem himself, and leaned into his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin.

Kouyuu let himself relax, too, and let out a low breath of relief. He closed his tired eyes. And he admitted it was almost amusing, looking back on how things had been between them. "Certain individuals close to you had made it very clear that you were not meant for mere mortals. They considered you a fine painting, to be admired. Preferably from afar, behind a glass case, with heavy security to surround you at all times."

"Really? I know Seiran looked out for me sometimes, but-."

"Please take my word for it," he insisted, deep feeling imbued in every word. "Every time when even I came to tutor you, Seiran had conveniently dug a deep, fresh hole in the yard outside your window and left the shovel stuck handle-up in warning, within plain view."

Shuurei pulled back to look at him askance.

Kouyuu nodded his head vigorously.

"I don't believe you."

"Speak to Shuei—he has plenty of stories about Seiran and his reputation as a soldier," Kouyuu assured her. "What happens in the Uringun normally stays in the Uringun, but Seiran's built himself a demonic reputation there."

Shuurei shook her head and felt a grin pull at her lips even as her eyebrow quirked upwards in disbelief. "No, Seiran's a big pushover."

Deciding to subtly shift the focus of the conversation away from Shuurei's overprotective retainer, Kouyuu nodded noncommittally and gave Shuurei's petite hands a quick squeeze. "Aah. It's late. I'm ready to head home now. Thank you for waiting for me."

Rising to stand, Shuurei turned to pull him up, too.

"Home," she agreed.

"Bed," he added wistfully as he closed his ledger, and wrapped an arm around her waist again. He couldn't stop touching her, or let go of her tonight. And what had started innocently enough was causing the warmth to build within him now.

When he leaned down to kiss his wife chastely on the cheek, he couldn't stop himself from taking it just a step further, continuing the kiss down the outside of her pale, soft-skinned throat. Shuurei's tiny, panting breath thrilled him more than it should have.

As they exited the palace, Kouyuu uncharacteristically called a carriage to ensure their safe—and expedited—return home. He didn't let go of her hand the entire journey.

* * *

They skipped supper when they arrived at the Kou residence.

Not that they didn't try—but both seemed to have become clumsy in their exhaustion, and fumbled down the hallway to their bedroom instead of trying to force themselves into conjuring a form of meal neither was interested in consuming.

Shuei was still absent, and for the first time neither questioned or wondered about his disappearance, too preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Kouyuu kept his hand on Shuurei's lower back, guiding her with nervous anticipation to their room. His heart was ready to burst in his chest, and he couldn't figure out where the anxiety stemmed from—whether it was from his earlier confession, the eagerness their couplings always aroused, or the fringes of guilt that still hung around his heart, he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was that he wanted more acknowledgement from her; whether he sought to have her forgiveness for how he'd originally manipulated her into his arms, their very first night together, with Shuei, in the forgotten Saiunpornium, or whether he wished she could just express her own frustration, now that he'd said what he had to say. Yes, the confession, while at work, after both had had a long day, was terribly timed. But something in him had insisted it was the time to tell her, and he couldn't ignore it anymore. He had hoped it would bring them closer together. Instead, now she was near-ignoring him.

How he wanted... Something. Anything. Just... some reaction from her, now that they were in the privacy of their own home. Unsettled, uncertain, unused to his wife leaving things unresolved when it came to their relationship, Kouyuu nearly fidgeted with his urge to clear the air between them. He...

He loved her so much. Had wanted nothing more than to simply be with her. Had tried to communicate that to her, and was left...

He wasn't sure how or what was left.

He wasn't entirely sure there was a problem. But he wasn't sure that things were all set to rights, either.

And now the urge to connect with her, to ensure that there were no outstanding issues, that she still cared for him (that above all) in light of his emotional failure, was starting to overwhelm him again.

"Shuurei," he whispered, gently taking her hand again.

She turned to look up at him, confused.

"I... What I said earlier..." He swallowed. "What do you..."

Kouyuu's words caught in his throat. What was he trying to say?

"Please tell me what you're thinking."

She looked down at her hand, clasped in his, her expression thoughtful, and Kouyuu held his breath, waiting for her to speak.

"I think... you have one of the worst guilt complexes of any man I've ever met, Li Kouyuu," she answered softly, her lips thinning. "And also one of the worst recognition- and acceptance-seeking ones, too."

She heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumping, and pulled her hand from his.

And Kouyuu felt his heart bottom out.

Rejection?

-Until she looked up at him, her eyes dark and shining, her face full of exasperation as she took in his tortured expression.

"You silly man," she groaned, and reached up on her tip-toes so she could wrap her arms around his neck and embrace him. "What am I going to do with you?" She tugged lightly on the loose hair that had slipped from his ponytail, chastising him for his insecurity.

Kouyuu's hands stayed stiff at his sides a moment; it was his turn to be shocked. He'd wanted to hold her all night, and now that he could, now that she was holding him, he felt frozen. Confusion flooded him.

Had anything changed?

Was this forgiveness?

Utterly unsure of where they and their relationship stood, Kouyuu looked down at his wife, his focus entirely on her. "What happened? I thought you were… I wasn't sure if you were angry with me." Hesitantly he drew his arms lightly around her, preparing to have her fend him off again. As anxiety pumped outward from his heart, he rested his hands on her hips.

Beneath his gaze Shuurei sighed, then groaned, before pulling him closer and banging her head lightly against his chest in frustration.

"I am, in a way. Angry with you. Because you manipulated me," she agreed, her voice low. "But I know you did it with the best of, if selfish, intentions, Kouyuu. And you honestly do care about me. And Shuei. The two of you have a bond that's unbreakable, and it's actually flattering to be invited into such a close relationship; to become an equal partner, if you will. I understood that. I know it wasn't an easy decision to make, for either of you, or for me. But that's just it. It was a decision. We made the choice ourselves. And, most importantly, it was my own decision – you always let me make my own decisions. I appreciate that, Kouyuu."

She took a deep breath and Kouyuu held his own as she continued. "So while I'm a bit upset and confused about how I should feel right now, it doesn't change how I feel about you or Shuei, because I honestly am very happy being your wife. In fact, I can't imagine us being anything different. I didn't realise it at first, but you two really… together, we are a family now, aren't we? The three of us?"

Feeling himself nodding mentally, Kouyuu repeated the gesture physically. "Of course."

She nodded into the soft fabric of his under-robe, and he realised finally that she was reassuring herself, too. She had been worried her family life, its stability, was threatened. He almost winced at how little he'd understood her initial reaction. Perhaps he did deserve a good tongue-lashing, for making her worry so much? Not that he thought either would ever give it to him—well, actually, Shuurei might have if she'd been more upset about it. But so far, she seemed to have accepted it. She had continued to cuddle him, which was a very good sign in his opinion, and he let his shoulders relax.

Further reinforcing this relief, then, Kouyuu felt Shuurei's lips move against the skin of his throat inside his collar, a kiss of pure adoration and understanding. And as her arms tightened around the back of his neck, she relaxed and sighed. Peaceful again.

It was all the confirmation he needed, and he brought his arms more fully around her, and held her close, letting his eyes shut as his chin rested atop her silken hair.

_Home. Finally._

"I love you," he said quietly into her hair, just for her to hear.

There was a heartbeat's pause, and then…

"L… love y-you, too," she stumbled out, obviously uncomfortable with such confessions.

Her cheek burned against his lower throat, and he realised she was blushing.

… and she wasn't the only one.

It made him smile.

He sat down on their bed, pulling her forward until she stood between his knees as she had when they were in his office earlier that evening. He gazed at her, their heights nearly matching now that he was sitting, and lifted a hand up to cup her cheek. Shuurei felt her heart beat more strongly in her chest at the gentle touch; not that Kouyuu wasn't normally a gentle man with her, but there was something else behind the warmth that sank from his fingertips into her skin in that moment. He finally felt free, relieved of a great secret he'd been guarding from her for so long. And that relief was as tangible to her as it was to him.

With this relief came confidence, and with his confidence returned his earlier stirrings for her. Kouyuu reached his thumb out to stroke slowly along Shuurei's bottom lip, feeling it give ever so slightly beneath his subtle press, revelling in the hint of moisture that gathered just inside.

"I want to be your only husband for tonight."

Her breath exhaled hotly over the pad of his thumb at his low-spoken words; the long, tapered male fingers at her throat felt her heartbeat jump.

"I want all your attention to myself, this time."

Their breath mingled as he leaned forward, running his cheek along hers, breathing her in, and as their bodies got closer, he felt her give a shiver of anticipation. But he was determined in this pursuit.

"I want to show you how much I love you, Shuurei**. **I want you to feel only me inside you, surrounding you, taking you to your release for once."

They could hear their breathing coming harsher now, both moved by the soft intensity in Kouyuu's words. It was so hard for him to hold back; holding her so close and trying to wait so patiently for her permission to continue. Everything in him surged, demanding he close the gaps between them, but he forced himself to wait. This night, their night, was about taking their time together, and making every moment unforgettable. His goal to sear himself into her memory that night resurfaced, and straining for control, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered,"I want to make love to you tonight, Shuurei."

And when he stopped, he felt her fingers gripping the collar of his robe, her head ducking a moment as she absorbed his husky voice**. **A moment later**,** she leaned back to look him in the eye and smile.

"Don't hold back," she replied, her eyes darkening the longer she looked at him.

Kouyuu's hands found Shuurei's waist and lifted, bringing her into his lap before he pulled her legs around his hips so thatshe straddled him on the edge of the bed.

"Come closer," he murmured against her lips.

"Close enough?" **S**he felt his warm hands smoothing up her legs, shifting her layers of silks away.

"No, closer," his lips kissed down her jaw to her throat, hot and wet and possessive; his nimble fingers had snuck beneath the folds of her clothing, loosening them enough so he created a breech just wide enough to continue his mouth's path.

Shuurei tried to swallow a gasp as the fabric parted and the air currents ghosted across her newly exposed skin. Another shiver sent sparks igniting within her when he slid her outer robes off to pool behind her on the floor.

"Touch me," he requested quietly. "Touch only me, tonight."

Smiling softly at his selfish request, an attemptto mask the lingering insecurity he felt, she obliged**.** Shuurei happily indulged him by bringing her hands to his hair to remove his tie completely, sending his long, shaggy hair tumbling down. She ran her fingers over his scalp, massaging him and combing out the knots, and Kouyuu couldn't help the groan thatescaped his lips.

"Thank you."

"Happy to help," she replied, still smiling, and as his mouth was still occupied at her throat—nearly her chest—she angled herself to kiss his temple in adoration.

Her eager hands didn't stop there, but rather continued on disrobing him as he had done her. Both were eager to feel nothing but their own skin between them, to share a private moment of intimacy.

When Kouyuu took her hips to bring her even closer, Shuurei felt her heartbeat shuddering in her chest; he guided himself in so carefully, mindful of every breath and move she made. As he brought her down upon him and rolled his hips into hers in welcome, Shuurei couldn't help the fluttering in her stomach at the intensity in his eyes as he gazed at her.

"Are you ready?"

Their gaze met and held, dark and shining and wanting**. **Shuurei nodded.

And soon they were well on their way

As they guided each other, they communicated with gentle touches and hard thrusts, whispered words and wanton cries, so wrapped up in each other that neither noticed how late into the night they moved.

When Kouyuu felt Shuurei's inner walls tightening and spasming around him again in warning of her next release, he realised she was holding her breath, trying to hold it in.

"Let it out," he ordered softly, kissing her hard on the mouth, his tongue meeting hers and drawing her out.

"I'm...," her breathing shuddered, and her eyes clenched shut almost painfully**.** "I'm..."

Another smooth roll of his hips into her, another kiss. "I want to hear you."

Wrapped up in his embrace, Shuurei looked like she was fighting back tears as the coil tightened within her, straining as her back arched. "It's..." Her words broke off.

His grip tightened around her waist and he brought a hand between them to touch her swollen bud, circling it once, twice, enthralled by the way she suddenly stiffened with the surge in her arousal.

"Don't hold back," he said huskily, repeating her words from earlier.

At that she nearly laughed—until he rub-pressed her most sensitive spot deliberately—and it happened; suddenly, violently, completely overwhelmingly. She lost her breath as she cried out, her small scream of triumph and vulnerability the most erotic music he'd ever heard.

It undid him, and he joined her a moment later, pumping up into her clenching channel with abandon**. **He felt his lower back tightening and cried out too, muffling himself against her mouth as he kissed her senseless**, **soaring into oblivion.

* * *

Outside their residence, residents stirred and started their day; within the walls of Kou Manor, however, Shuei snuggled into Kouyuu's back the following morning, letting the other man know he'd arrived home safely during the night. A moment of simple domestic bliss they enjoyed more than they'd ever openly admit to each other.

As early morning gave way to later morning, Kouyuu felt his husband stretch beside him and kiss his shoulder in greeting, before seeing the dark-haired man scoot quietly out of bed, tucking the two remaining occupants in again and heading towards the kitchen. Noting that Shuurei still slept quite soundly, Kouyuu decided to go check on Shuei to make sure everything was ok. And possibly make some breakfast; he was starving.

It was akin to a walk of shame as Kouyuu joined Shuei in the kitchen a minute later; Shuei giving him knowing look, but not saying outright anything. (Yet.)

"You arrived in late. Did something happen?"

Shuei shook his head, his hair still loose from sleep. "I'm hoping not anymore. We may need to accompany a few delegates on goodwill missions soon, though, to some of the further borders."

Kouyuu's expression darkened. "And by 'goodwill', you're obviously implying **'**subduing rogue warlords with deadly force**'**, aren't you?"

Shuei shrugged. "I was thinking of inviting Shuurei to give her some field experience."

Kouyuu knew he was being teased, but couldn't help his feathers getting ruffled. "You leave her here **-** it's bad enough she's in back-alleys half the time. Thank the gods you and that Kouchou have most of those areas covered**, **otherwise out there she'd be too vulnerable. There's a difference between self-defence while on an assignment, and frontal assault while a front-lines soldier. Hmph. And don't you dare wake her up," he said, when Shuei looked towards the hallway that led to their room. "She's been working too hard again."

Shuei hid his smirk at Kouyuu's overprotective instincts. "Well, we can at least talk to her about it when she does wake up. Seiga's due back soon, isn't he? I bet she'd love to take out some of that frustration physically." Then his eyes gleamed and he casually picked up his tea cup. "Speaking of, I don't even remember the last time she slept in past dawn; it has to be close to noon." His indigo eyes laughed at Kouyuu's resulting blush, and the shaggy-haired civil servant turned his back on his husband deliberately, muttering darkly about minding one's own business, and didn't he have a sword to sharpen or an Emperor to body-guard?

"I thought it would be nice to have a morning at home," was all Shuei answered at Kouyuu's grumblings, before he walked over to stand beside him. He recognised that a good deal of the tension that normally hung over his spouse had been released, then, and his eyebrows rose in speculation.

"You told her?"

"Hm?"

There was silence as Shuei looked meaningfully at Kouyuu, until Kouyuu sighed and nodded, if a little reluctantly. "She knows about the night in the Saiunpornium not being an accident," he admitted.

Shuei nodded and grinned. "Good man. No wonder you feel better."

Kouyuu just scowled. "Go jump in the pond. Oy! You stay away from that room, she needs her rest, Shuei! Now make yourself useful," he ordered grumpily, and handed him a knife. "Start with the fruit and vegetables, she'll need to eat to regain her strength," he mumbled**, **slightly flustered.

Shuei chuckled at that, which only made Kouyuu's embarrassment worse. "You don't do anything by halves, do you?"

"Shut up before I cut you!"

* * *

AN: Thank you very much, Nikolita, for beta'ing this for me so many times! (Please note that all errors are still my own, though – I did some re-vamping last minute, as usual.) Hope you enjoyed!


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